Tag Archives: cafes in jaisalmer

In the north-west of India, at the most remote corner of Rajasthan, almost on the border with Pakistan, sits a golden city that emerges out from the Thar desert like an oasis in the middle of the dunes. That city is called Jaisalmer and it is another remarkable fort-gifted town I visited during my travels there last month.

Here’s your

Creed guide to Jaisalmer

COFFEE

Excellent service and coffee, we stopped here for some refreshments and didn’t eat anything but everything is cooked with mineral water, so you should be fine. Oh, very happy staff!
Address: inside the fort, on top of Shiva guesthouse

Bhang Shop
Not actually coffee LOL, but it didn’t feel appropriate to put it in any other section of this guide 🙂 Bhang is a preparation of cannabis, frequently used in food and drinks in India and this shop is famous all over India or maybe the world for their bhang lassi and cookies. Take it easy! 🙂
Address: Fort Road, Khejer Para, Manak Chowk, Amar Sagar Pol, Jaisalmer 345001, India

READ

Bhatia News agency on Court Road, but also the various book stalls in the fort.

Dhahran Book Store includes a little coffee shop at the back and wifi connection to check your latest purchase.

Rawasl Handicraft and Bookstore on Vyas Para, Fort, is another interesting place to browse for new books.

EXPLORE

Jaisalmer FortIt wouldn’t be a proper Rajasthan city if it didn’t have its Fort, right? So, make sure to visit this one too! The interesting fact of this one is that unlikely others in the state, people still live here, in fact the fort has about 2000 residents, the majority of which are Brahmins.

HavelisCommissioned by wealthy and powerful men during the eighteen and nineteen centuries, Havelis are stunning houses built on the principle of Hawa (Air) and Veli (Ventilation), they normally have two open courtyards and elaborated artwork on the mughal pillars.

Camel SafariIf you came this far across India, it’s probably because you are looking for a camel safari or sleep under the stars. Well, you picked the right place as this is probably one of the best and starrier sky in the whole world and if you avoid touts, scams and big organised tourists’ groups, you might even have a fantastic night in the desert.
In fact, me and my friend had a bespoke tour of the desert, we ate in the pitch dark food that had been cooked there in front of us on a fire and later we had the whole desert as our own bedroom as you can see from the pictures below! Leave the fuss of the tends and comfort for one night, just sleep in the wild!I highly, highly recommend the tour organised by the accommodation that hosted me, (see the DREAM section below) and get in touch with me via email if you wish to be put in touch.

Gadsar Lake
This is probably one of my favourite places in Rajasthan and maybe India. It’s incredibly peaceful and it offers so many great opportunities for incredible pictures, like this one or the below.
In the past, this “little” lake acted as a reservoir that controlled the entire supply of water to Jaisalmer.

Pushkarna Trust Sunset PointJust outside Jaisalmer, it’s a great place to watch the sun going down and painting the golden city in orange and red, but also to walk around the ruins and maybe chill under one of the many cenotaphs enjoying the incredible view.

EAT

MonicaVery calm, terraced restaurant that serves Rajasthani and tandoori dishes and several veg and non-veg challis.Address: Near the Fort Gate

Midtown Restaurant
Very, very simple terraced restaurant, with basic decoration and setting, but excellent food and smiley staff. Bonus point is the view over the square where you can spy merchants making business or kids coming back from school. Excellent spot for some street photography without being noticed.Address: Gopa Chowk, opposite to Bhang Shop

DREAM

The foundations of Jaisalmer fort, built on a base of soft clay, sand and sandstone, are rapidly eroding due to the increases in water consumption related to tourism. Due to some drainage issues, during peak season some of the water comes back into surface and hits the foundations[read more here]

People died in 1998 and few more bastions fell in 2000 and 2001, for this reasons Jaisalmer is now listed among the World Monument Fund’s 100 Most Endangered Sites and as an eco-traveller as I consider myself, I decided (like many other conscious tourists do) to book an accommodation outside the fort.

I couldn’t have found a better hotel to host me during my stay in Jaisalmer. In fact, The Gulaag Hotel is a luxury boutique hotel built in the traditional architecture of old hovels, including open courtyards and intricate sculptural work on each column.

It has twelve luxury rooms, eight deluxe rooms and four grand suites.

It includes a refreshing swimming pool and SPA as well as a rooftop restaurant that specialise in Rajasthani cousin as well as a few international dishes.